Capture of the City of Rabbah

20 In the spring[a] when kings march out to war,(A) Joab led the army and destroyed the Ammonites’ land. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem.(B) Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it. Then David took the crown from the head of their king,[b][c](C) and it was placed on David’s head. He found that the crown weighed seventy-five pounds[d] of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city. He brought out the people who were in it and put them to work with saws,[e] iron picks, and axes.[f](D) David did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

The Philistine Giants

After this,(E) a war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim,[g](F) and the Philistines were subdued.

Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.(G)

There was still another battle at Gath where there was a man of extraordinary stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.[h] When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

These were the descendants of the giant in Gath killed by David and his soldiers.

Footnotes

  1. 20:1 Lit At the time of the return of the year
  2. 20:2 LXX, Vg read of Milcom
  3. 20:2 = Molech; 1Kg 11:5,7
  4. 20:2 Lit a talent
  5. 20:3 Text emended; MT reads and sawed them with the saw; 2Sm 12:31
  6. 20:3 Text emended; MT reads saws; 2Sm 12:31
  7. 20:4 Or the Rephaites
  8. 20:6 Or Raphah, also in v. 8

Siege and Capture of Rabbah

20 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army, ravaged the country of the Ammonites, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and overthrew it.(A) David took the crown of Milcom[a] from his head; he found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. He also brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount.(B) He brought out the people who were in it and set them to work[b] with saws and iron picks and axes.[c] Thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.(C)

Exploits against the Philistines

After this, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer; then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the giants, and the Philistines were subdued.(D) Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.(E) Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great size who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he also was descended from the giants.[d](F) When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. These were descended from the giants[e] in Gath; they fell by the hand of David and his servants.

Footnotes

  1. 20.2 Gk Vg: Heb of their king
  2. 20.3 Heb and he sawed
  3. 20.3 Heb saws
  4. 20.6 Gk: Heb from the Raphah
  5. 20.8 Gk: Heb from the Raphah